Gabrielle Kiminyo is a dual-degree student at the University of Michigan pursuing a BFA in Dance and a BA in International Studies with a focus on Global Environment and Health. She is passionate about environmental justice, community engagement, and storytelling through movement. Gabrielle has led service projects, DEI programming, and sustainability initiatives through the Michigan Community Scholars Program, professional sustainability fraternity Theta Alpha Psi, and the Dance Student Assembly. A Kelly Askew African Language Scholar studying Swahili, she aspires to become an international environmental lawyer focused on equitable solutions in East Africa. She is excited to work at More Gardens Fund while supporting joyful, justice-centered community work.

Tatiana Gonzalez is a queer documentarian, illustrator, portraitist, and memory collector of the Guatemalan diaspora. Their work explores authenticity, interconnectedness, and evolution. As an analog and digital photographer of eight years, she thanks her grandparents for cultivating her passion to document. Their library of photo albums archives over 50+ years of her family’s expansion from Guatemala to new beginnings in New Jersey.

Being behind the lens gives them power to shape narratives and allows them to bridge connections to their community. Their image and video work seeks to intimately capture the next generation of artists, historical social movements, queer folx, and collect archives of intimate connections.

Bethany Hartman is a senior at Boston University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Environmental Analysis and Policy, with a minor in Urban Studies. Her academic interests focus on addressing systemic urban challenges through data and design-driven solutions.

Bethany thrives at the intersection of storytelling, policy, and design, driven by a personal mission to help build more culturally inclusive and sustainable spaces. Her passions also include education, architecture, public health, and technology.

In her free time, Bethany loves to read, write, walk through cities, cook vegetarian meals, and travel!

Hi, I am Jile from China and now a landscape architecture student. I am passionate about environmental justice, community building, and the transformative power of green spaces. Volunteering with More Gardens! allows me to learn from land, people, and movements of culture, and resistance. I believe green space and landscape can change people's lives. So, I’m especially interested in how gardens nourish not just bodies, but also connection, creativity, and healing. I believe in protecting community spaces as vital forms of public power and joy. Being part of More Gardens! is a chance to learn from those fighting for land and life.

Justin is a student of the liberal arts, so his interests are hard to pinpoint. He currently studies at University of California, Berkeley. In the past, he has kicked it with Young Artists at the Whitney, facilitated educational programs at Apex For Youth, and wrote an award-winning essay about environmental ideology and art. In addition to creativity, Justin is interested in community: if the environment has taught us anything, it's that nature and nurture are both important. Just as biodiversity is key to prosperity in nature, he believes, so too is diversity key to flourishing at life.

I'm Jake Mercier, currently studying Environmental Interior Design at Syracuse University with a minor in Writing. My passion lies in creating spaces that are both beautiful and functional, with sustainability in mind. I've built strong communication and multitasking skills through my customer service experience at a local grocery store throughout high school, and a cafe during college breaks. At Syracuse, I’m involved in the Orange Pulse Dance Troupe as a choreographer and am an active member of both IIDA and ASID. I enjoy combining creativity and technical skill, whether through design software or choreography, and I’m always looking to learn and grow through hands-on experience and collaboration.

Skyler Kim-Schellinger is a current undergraduate student at Haverford College studying Environmental Studies and Fine Arts with a concentration in painting. Skyler’s field of research within Environmental Studies centers around policy, specifically Degrowth Theory. This background in academic theory undercurrents her belief in the radical and transformative power of grassroots organizations and community gardens — just like MoreGardens! and Children’s Magical Garden. These transformative spaces provide nutritious soil for the magical growth of much needed connection between community, nature, and environment. Fostering these connections is what Skyler hopes to continue to pursue beyond her work with MoreGardens!.

A recent graduate of Columbia University with a degree in Political Science and Sustainable Development, Austin Lee is driven by a commitment to social justice and decolonization. This passion is rooted in his long-standing work in community advocacy, beginning with his founding of Bernards Ensemble, a non-profit that serves and advocates for the disability community through music. At Columbia, he translated this focus on social equity to the environmental sphere, conducting policy research on equitable land use for the Environmental Defense Fund and amplifying the voices of local environmental justice experts as VP of the Sustainable Development Goals Hub. His work with the Undergraduate Law Review solidified his belief that legal frameworks are essential for protecting communities. Austin plans to attend law school to build a career in environmental justice law and dedicate himself to creating a more equitable and just future.

Briona Myles is a designer with a background in architecture, environmental design, and sustainability. She is passionate about ecological justice, community-led design, and the role of nature in shaping healthier, more inclusive spaces. Briona aspires to become an architectural scientist who fuses sustainable material research with architectural practice to develop spaces that center both people and the planet. Her work explores the potential of integrating natural systems and animal life into the built environment. Through the More Gardens! Fund, she’s excited to support environmental arts education, connect with youth, and help nurture a deeper sense of place, stewardship, and imagination in community green spaces.

Started with More Gardens after graduating High School in 2017. She is determined and dedicated. As our assistant accountant, she entered the business field when she was a sophomore at HS, taking Accounting and Entrepreneurship class. She attended the Financial Backpack Program that is conducted by Financial Women's Association. Participated in the Futures and Options pre-internship program developing her career readiness skills, such as team cooperation, communication, and presentation. Her accountability started at home as the only child speaking English for her household, translating, checking her parents' income check, mapping the routes of working places, paying utility bills etc. She studies at Baruch College.

My name is Bailey Thetford and I am an 18 year old senior in high school. I go to Essex Street Academy and am planning to go to college next year, not sure where at though yet! I’m planning to major in computer science and minor in environmental science. I love animals, the environment, outer space, and just science in general. For hobbies, I am into cross stitching, drawing, painting, playing guitar, video games, reading, and learning. I love being a part of this internship and I couldn’t have made a better choice!

Madelin is a design and arts intern with More Gardens! Her interests are social and environmental justice. She is a current almost-graduate-college student studying at Sarah Lawrence College. Former ardent ballet dancer. Rescuer of animals. And lover of NYC. Madelin views community as a watering hole— sometimes it literally sustains us with food and drink, but it also provides a system for supporting each other, expressing ourselves to each other, stimulating each other, and enjoying life together. Madelin’s first and most special community is in the Bay Area in California, where she is from.

Iris is a junior at Barnard College studying Visual Arts and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She loves to paint, draw, collage, tear, cut, glue, smear, and anything at all to do with making art. You can find her climbing, jumping, walking, camping, and anything at all to do with adventure. She hopes to be a professional artist and part-time explorer. Iris considers herself an optimist and is committed to seeing the best in people (and bringing out the best in people). Her hero is her dog, Molly, a canine like no other. She is thrilled to be part of the More Gardens! team and believes deeply in the power of art and community gardens.